As His Heart Lied
by TheEvilPeaches
Summary: Sakura decided that everything was better before Sasuke was dragged home. Now, instead of seeing Naruto happy, she is watching him break himself in half trying to make the ex-missing nin happy. SasuNaru
1. The Monster Has Returned

**AN: **Ok, so this is sasunaru, and it is set around the time that our beloveds are about twenty years old. I'm setting it past the manga. There will be graphic man on man content later, so if that isn't your cup of tea....well then why are you here? In this little chapter we see a little Sakura and Naruto thoughts. This is not a NaruSaku fic. If you want it described in a better way this is a love triangle with Naruto in the middle. The rating is currently T, but will be raised to M for sexual content. There may be spoilers up to chapter 454.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters from the anime Naruto. The only original characters (I created the original characters though) in here are the three genin I have created to serve as Naruto's genin students.

* * *

She thought that the return of Sasuke would be a good thing.

{_She never thought that she would feel this way about his return}_

Life had been hard for years without Sasuke, but they had adjusted. In fact, they had adjusted just fine. Sakura had watched Naruto grow from an obnoxious orange wearing genin to a somewhat more mature jounin.

They had invariably become friends. It was expected, she supposed, since they had both lost someone so incredibly important to them. At first she had thought that Naruto could never be someone she would be friends with, but without Sasuke around as a distraction, she began to see Naruto for who he was inside.

What she saw there made her love him. Now, it wasn't some passionate love, and it certainly wasn't the obsessive love she used to have for Sasuke, but it was love, slow and calm. She cared about him and his thoughts, and he was able to tell her everything.

Eventually, when they had turned nineteen, they had become a little more than friends. She wasn't all that surprised either. After all, Sakura had been there for Naruto for years, she had been there when his best friend had _left him for dead_.

She had been there the day that Naruto had all but given up. He had stood there in front of her, only seventeen years old, feeling a remorse way beyond his years.

"_I'm not giving up," he had said, his eyes bitter, "but I'm letting him go for now."_

She had accepted that answer since she had already decided a long time ago that she no longer needed Sasuke to come back for herself. The only reason she had helped Naruto hunt him was because of Naruto. She wanted to see him happy, and for some odd reason she had thought Sasuke would be able to turn Naruto back to normal.

Yes, everything had been good in Konoha four years after Pain and his crew had attacked. After rebuilding Naruto seemed to have calmed down. He even had his own genin team! If Sakura loved nothing else, she definitely loved watching Naruto with his kids.

"_Hey, you brat! What did you call me? So what if I'm late! I'm an old man, I'm entitled to these things!"_

Then it happened. The day Naruto came to her, giving her the routine hug and kiss.

_{Oh how she wished it hadn't happened}_

"_Sakura-chan! I did it!"_

_She smiled up at him, still holding his hand. He was all but jumping out of his clothes he was so thrilled. He was talking so fast that she couldn't understand a single word. "Naruto…Naruto! Calm down!" She laughed._

_His smile was so bright that he could have lit a dark room. He picked her up and swung her around, laughing. "How can I possibly calm down? I've finally done it! Oh Sakura-chan, you are going to be so happy!"_

"_I'll be happy when you put me down, you great stupid."_

_He put her down gently, his large hands still on her waist. She noticed how his eyes danced with a happiness she had not seen in so long. It scared her, because she feared what it meant. "Naruto," she whispered, "what have you done?"_

_He pulled her to him again, looking deep into her green eyes. "I brought him home, Sakura, I brought him home." _

_Sakura's heart skipped a beat. There was no mistaking who _he _was._

"_When? How? Oh, Naruto…"_

It had been a week since then and already Sakura wanted him gone again. She never thought that she could hate Uchiha Sasuke….but wonders never cease to happen. The twenty year old ex-missing nin had been placed under house arrest. Not in the old Uchiha complex, he was not allowed that privilege. He had been given his own home on the far side of town.

He was under ANBU guard at all times, at least three at once. He had also been placed under a chakra block so that he could not perform jutsu's to maim or kill anyone as he had been prone to do. Sakura thought that he was nothing more than a major stress on Konoha because everyone feared him.

He was but a shadow of the boy he used to be. Sakura barely recognized the man that stood in his place. He was cold, colder than he had been as a child. His eyes were like black ice, deadly. And above all he was beautiful in a sad, devastating way. He was untouchable, closed off from everyone who dared to look at him.

You would have to be a fool to think that Uchiha Sasuke was happy to be home.

Sakura was sick and tired of watching Naruto rip open old wounds while trying to please his old teammate. She had been a fool to think that Sasuke could make Naruto happy. How could he when he was unable to be happy himself?

The old sadness had crept into Naruto's eyes because he had lost Sasuke again, only this time he didn't know how to bring him back. Sasuke didn't even have to try to hurt Naruto, he was able to do it with a simple look.

_{And how she hated him for it}_

* * *

"Sensei! You are late again!"

"Yeah, what are you doing? You can't just sleep in when you feel like it."

The blonde grinned, waving off the whines of his young genin team. "I have a good reason for being late! I always have a good reason, you brats."

"No you don't."

Naruto scowled at the only boy in the team. "Akira, shut your mouth, ok, thanks."

The boy stuck his tongue out at his teacher and the two girls giggled. "So what's the story today, Sensei? Did you slay a dragon in order to get here this time?"

Naruto looked at them for a moment, clearly trying to think of what to say. "Nah, this time I was wrangling an oversized snake."

The girl with fiery red hair snickered. "Yeah right, Naruto-sensei! We don't have oversized snakes."

Naruto felt his smile freeze on his face, thinking of earlier that morning. "No seriously kids, I was. I'm here now, and I'm better late than never. We are going to be climbing trees today. Using chakra….so get to it."

The kids stared at him, feeling a sudden awkwardness. Their sensei didn't seem to be in a good mood. He shifted on his feet, seeming lost in thought. "Sensei?" The red headed girl, Chou asked.

He blinked and then put his hands on his hips, glaring down at them. "Well, what are you guys doing standing around here? Hop to it, on one foot."

When they looked confused, Naruto smiled gently, saying, "I was kidding about the hopping part."

And so they went to climb trees, leaving their sullen teacher behind.

The moment they were out of sight, Naruto slumped to the ground, head in his hands. "Fuck," he croaked.

He had wanted the kids out of the way as soon as possible. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. Ever since he had dragged Sasuke's ass back home, the black haired man had undoubtedly decided to make Naruto pay for it everyday.

So far, Sasuke had not been allowed to leave his new home yet. As part of the house arrest, Sasuke was confined to the house for a few months. It was the elder's way of seeing how Sasuke behaved. On Naruto's behalf they had spared the missing nin of an immediate execution.

If Sasuke behaved for over six months, he would be allowed out of the house, with ANBU guards following, of course. As if they would dare allow such a man to wander free!

Naruto didn't blame the elder's for their choice either. Even with his chakra blocked, Sasuke was a dangerous man. He didn't need chakra to kill someone. Naruto sighed, moving so that he could sit in the shade of a tree, leaning against its trunk. Oh, Sasuke…why did he have to be so difficult? Why couldn't he just accept that Konoha was his home, that he belonged here with his old teammates?

At the crack of dawn, Naruto had gotten up and grabbed some ramen for Sasuke. It was sort of his job to grab him snacks and food, aka ramen. Sakura gave him the groceries because Naruto wouldn't have a clue what to get anyway. He only ate ramen after all so he didn't see why Sasuke couldn't live on it too.

Lucky for Sasuke, Sakura was kind enough to realize that Sasuke despised ramen and that he would refuse to live on it.

Naruto had gone to Sasuke's house after eating himself. He had knocked on the door after getting clearance with the ANBU watching the house.

"_Sasuke? Sasuke!? Wake up, I have your ramen."_

_After banging on the door for a few minutes, the door finally opened. In the shadowed doorway stood the tall ex-missing nin. He simply looked at Naruto, no real emotion on his face to speak of._

_Naruto felt nervous around his old teammate, always nervous. It was like walking on eggshells with him; you never knew when Sasuke would break out of his calm exterior and lash out._

"_Teme, come on. What were you doing asleep at this hour? I thought you were an early bird!"_

_Sasuke stepped back, letting Naruto into his home. Naruto walked past Sasuke, so close that he could smell the scent of the soap he had washed with that morning. "I was not asleep, moron, I simply was not inclined to let you in."_

_He shut the door behind the blonde man, and then strode off, disappearing somewhere in the house. Naruto sighed in exasperation; Sasuke seemed to make everything into a chase, a fight. It drove him mad, trying to keep up with his old friend._

_Naruto went into the room that Sasuke had just disappeared into. "Where do you want the ramen?"_

"…"

"_I can't hear you teme, speak up."_

"_I don't want ramen."_

_Naruto went into the kitchen, leaving the black haired man lying on the floor in front of the window. He knew Sasuke did that, watched the sun rise, that is. _

"_Well, do you want rice or something? I could try making it for you before I go to my kids."_

"…"

_Naruto picked a fork out and began to eat the ramen he had brought for Sasuke. He was hungry after all. He went back into the other room and watched his immobile, self-appointed ward. Naruto waited for a real response, but Sasuke's silence was beginning to piss him off._

"_Can you at least give me an answer? What do you want, Uchiha?"_

_Suddenly, in a flurry of smooth motion, Sasuke was off of the floor relaxing and dangerously close to Naruto's face. The Uchiha curled his lip and leaned closer to Naruto. "You want to know what I want, Naruto?"_

_Naruto shuddered as the Uchiha's voice took on a husky, low quality. He shook off the feeling that the tone gave him, not liking it one bit. Sasuke smirked mockingly, clearly knowing how he was making Naruto feel._

_He leaned even closer, his breath caressing Naruto's face. Suddenly, his eyes flashed red as he snarled._

"_I want you to get the FUCK out."_

_He slammed Naruto into and through the wall. The crash brought the ANBU in immediately, prepared to give the killing blow. Sasuke ignored their presence, his attention solely on his former friend. "And I want someone to fix my wall, today preferably."_

_With that said, he turned on his heel and went into his dark bedroom, shutting the door behind him._

_One of the ANBU leaned down and helped Naruto up. He shook off some of the remnants of the wall and quickly walked out of the house. He didn't want to see the looks in the ANBU's eyes through the holes in the masks. He knew what he would see._

_Pity._

_And the question of, 'why do you bother?'_

_Why indeed?_

* * *

Akira was panting from exertion, leaning heavily on Chou. Climbing trees with just their feet had been a killer exercise. They had been going at it all day without instruction from Naruto.

"Why is Naruto-sensei acting so weird lately?" Hana, the youngest of the group, asked.

Akira sat down on the ground, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I don't know, maybe something happened on that mission he went on. Remember? He was gone for _weeks._ When he came back he started acting funny."

"And his girlfriend, that medical nin! She wasn't as cheery as usual either," Chou said.

Hana rolled her eyes. "Sakura is definitely not his girlfriend! They are just really close."

"Oh, so that's why she spends the night at his house sometimes?"

"…"

"That's what I thought."

Hana leaned against the tree they had been climbing. Something was off about that relationship lately too. "I don't know guys, something funny has been going on around here. I heard them arguing one night. You know, the night I had to drop off those stupid history quizzes Naruto-sensei gave us one time?"

Chou's eyebrows rose. "Sakura and Naruto-sensei were arguing? I haven't ever seen them do that."

Hana nodded. "I could hear them through the door. Sakura-san was shouting about Naruto and this _guy. _It was really weird."

Akira's face scrunched up. "A _guy? _Why the hell -ouch, stop that Chou!- would they be arguing about a guy?"

Chou let go of his hair and whispered menacingly, "Then stop swearing!"

Akira pushed her away and looked back at Hana expectantly. She looked upset. "I don't know, but it sounded like Sakura thought that this guy was getting between them."

Akira snickered. "Well, that's awkward."

"What's awkward?"

They all jumped at the sound of Naruto's voice.

"Nothing Sensei!"

He looked suspicious, but he didn't comment. "What are you guys doing, lounging around here like a bunch of lazy toads? Did I say you could take a break? I didn't think so."

He gestured to the tree. "Show me what you got! If you can beat me, I'll treat you all to ramen!"

They didn't beat him, but he still took them out for ramen. After eating a total of thirty ramen bowls, they all said their goodbyes. "I expect to see you all bright and early, brats!"

"Yes, sensei."

They watched as he walked off, whispering about how great he was to each other. It was Hana that noticed the oddity. "Hey, guys?" She said.

They stopped giggling and looked at her. She pointed after Naruto's retreating back. "That's not the way to his house."

And it wasn't the way to Sakura's either.

* * *

**AN:** Ok, so how was it? Do I have anyone's interest? I promise you, there will be more Sasuke and Naruto interaction, and they won't be in flashbacks!

Soooo R&R....I eat reviews for dinner :)


	2. Can't Sleep

"I don't know what to do with him anymore," Sakura murmured.

"Let things work themselves out! You don't need to do anything; Naruto should be the one to patch your problems up," Ino said.

Sakura scowled. "This is Naruto we are talking about; social problems aren't his forte. He's better at beating people into submission."

"So true."

They were sitting at Naruto's kitchen table, sipping tea as they discussed Sakura's partner. After the argument, Naruto had been avoiding Sakura like the plague. Not that she blamed him. In her anger she had said some really stupid things and one of those stupid things had hit its mark.

_"I guess monsters stick together don't they? You must feel right at home around him, Naruto."_

Sakura closed her eyes just thinking about her harsh words. She hadn't really meant them, but being called a monster always hurt Naruto because of the nine-tailed fox. "Shit, I'm such a bitch," she hissed angrily.

Ino smirked, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "No, you are a big foreheaded bitch. That's all there is to it. Why else do you think Naruto likes you so much?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's easy Ino-pig. He's had a crush on me for years!"

"That's because you are so mean to him! Naruto is closet masochist! I mean come on, Sakura! Look at his supposed best friend!"

"Ino."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up, you pig."

"Bitch."

They sat there, twiddling their thumbs for a few moments more. Sakura sat up straighter, the crease between her forehead deepening. "He has to come home sometime right?"

Ino reached forward and patted Sakura's hand. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."

Sakura's eyes nearly watered at the thought of Naruto not coming back to her because of what she said. The pain he held inside from years of verbal abuse from the village…she was almost just as bad as them. "I do worry about him. All the time."

* * *

He stood outside the door for a few moments, not really sure what to do. Naruto sighed; everything used to be simple with the Uchiha. They would spar, bitch, and moan about everything. That was simple, that was the usual.

Now though? He had no idea how to act around his old friend. Too many things had happened, things that had slightly weakened their childhood bond. Not that Naruto had wanted that to happen since he still felt the same way about Sasuke.

The problem was that Sasuke had gone places in life that Naruto could not hope –or even want- to go to. Sasuke was not a good person. There was no getting around that. He killed people in cold blood, and he even killed people because he believed they deserved to die. Naruto had only felt that way about Orochimaru, truly believed that such a horrible monster should not be allowed to walk free.

Sasuke…Sasuke had become just like _him_. And it hurt, hurt more than anything any villager could say to him. When he looked into Sasuke's eyes, he couldn't see his friend anymore. Although he saw Sasuke almost everyday now, it was like a wall was permanently between them. The Uchiha had always been an antisocial bastard, but he was ten times worse now.

Suddenly, the sound of a window jerking open snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. "What are you doing in front of my door?"

Naruto was a little shocked that Sasuke was still able to sense him with his chakra blocked. He hadn't even knocked but Sasuke had known he was there. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck out of embarrassment. "I, uh, was going to knock you know."

He was greeted with a blank stare. Sasuke was hanging out his window, his arms crossed over the windowsill. His head lay on his arms, and he looked wide awake for someone who should have been asleep at this hour.

"Are you going to let me in?"

"Hn. Why should I?"

"Because I'm didn't bring you ramen this time?"

Again, the blank emotionless stare caught him in its snare. Without a word, the dark haired man left the window. Naruto stared, wondering whether or not that meant the Uchiha was going to let him in or not.

As an answer to his thought, the locks on the door unlocked and the Naruto was let inside. He stepped in, instantly inhaling the sharp, clean scent that was purely Sasuke. The entire house was dark, as it usually was. "_Teme_, when are you going to invest in some lights?"

There was no response. Sasuke was already walking away, ignoring Naruto's very presence. Naruto scowled at his retreating back; as always, Sasuke was running away from the situation.

"I guess it doesn't really matter, does it? You lived in a cave like the freaking boogeyman. Hell, you lived with the boogeyman."

Sasuke didn't say a word as he lit the wick of a candle. He placed it in a lantern and set it on the entryway table. Naruto felt his heart skip as he gazed at the face of his ex best friend. Sasuke's pale skin seemed to glow as the soft light of the flame touched his face.

The fire reflected in his dark eyes, making them seem like fiery coals. "Is that better for you, _Naruto_?"

His voice was soft, almost husky as he whispered. Naruto figured that he had picked up that tone from Orochimaru, that soft, almost velvet tone that could lull someone into false comfort.

Naruto didn't answer Sasuke. He knew it was a question that Sasuke wanted an answer to. Knowing him, he was probably trying to set Naruto up for some fucking mind game. Sasuke leaned against the door frame, leaning his head back slightly to expose his long neck. His eyes stayed on Naruto, watching him. "What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto hated dealing with this Sasuke, he wanted the old one back. The feeling in the air was tense and uncomfortable and all he wanted to do was run away. But he couldn't; he was here because his friend needed help recovering from all the shit he got into. Naruto needed a place to stay because…well his apartment wasn't available right now.

"I need a place to stay tonight."

Sasuke face twisted. _"What?"_

Naruto puffed out his chest in an effort to seem confident even though he was extremely nervous. "You heard me Sasuke-bastard! I'm crashing here tonight."

The other man was in his face immediately. "Why the fuck do you think I would let you stay here, in my house? _I don't want you here_!"

His warm breath washed over Naruto's mouth, and the blonde licked his lips nervously. Sasuke's eyes fell on the motion briefly before his eyes narrowed. "Get out."

"Noooo! Come on Sasuke-teme! Let me stay! Sakura is in my apartment and I don't want to go back tonight!"

Naruto watched in fascination as Sasuke's face went blank. "Why is Sakura in your apartment, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled, not really thinking about the fight he had with her recently, but more on the good times they had sharing a living space. "Well, she kinda stays over every once in a while. She rarely is at her own home, she has already basically moved all her stuff in my apartment!"

The Uchiha watched Naruto talk about her and felt an odd sort of anger build in his chest. The hand clutching the door frame tightened briefly before Sasuke got his emotions back under control. "So do you fuck her now, Naruto?"

Sasuke watched with sick pleasure as fury lit Naruto's blue eyes. "Don't you talk about us that way! What do you care anyway, you bastard? You don't even like her anyway!"

Sasuke wanted to laugh, knowing that Naruto was feeling nervous about Sasuke near Sakura. He must have thought that Sasuke would take her away. As if. But it would be so easy…

"You're right, Uzumaki, I don't give a damn about her."

He turned and left Naruto standing there. He walked into his room and lay down on his bed, turning on his side so that he could look out his open windows. Seconds ticked by and he could tell that Naruto still hadn't moved from his spot. Stupid moron, didn't he see an invitation when it struck him in the face?

"Are you going to fall asleep standing up or are you going to sleep like a normal person?"

He heard Naruto mutter a curse and after a few more seconds the other man was in his room, standing. Staring at the bed, like he wasn't sure what to do. Sasuke smirked because he knew Naruto couldn't see his face. He could already tell what Naruto was thinking; _is it safe to fall asleep here? Will I be alive when I wake up? Will Sasuke slit my throat in my sleep?_

Sasuke bit his lip to keep from chuckling. Poor, stupid Naruto Uzumaki. Every single bad thought he had ever had about Sasuke….well, they were entirely plausible. If Sasuke were Naruto –which he wasn't- he definitely would not feel safe sleeping in the same bed, let alone the same house as Sasuke.

He expected the moron to change his mind and leave. Then suddenly a warmth slid into the bed next to him. He tensed immediately; this wasn't how Naruto was supposed to react. Naruto should have left, should have freaking left!

"Goodnight, Sasuke-bastard."

"Fuck you."

* * *

In his sleep, Naruto had the oddest dream.

Sitting before him was a very small boy with raven black hair. He walked over to him and cringed at what he saw laying in the boy's lap. The child looked up at him, tears streaking down his face.

"Why won't it move? What's wrong with it?"

Naruto felt sick, looking down at the baby fox in the child's lap. It was motionless, its head lying at an odd angle.

"It's dead. You killed it."

The little boy's face crumpled even more as a fresh wave of tears came forth. "I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to hurt it!"

Naruto looked away, wanting out of this dream, away from this familiar face. "I'm sure you didn't."

"Why does everything I touch break?"

The question damn near broke Naruto's heart but he answered the boy anyway. "I don't know, Sasuke, I just don't know."

* * *

**AN: **Thank you so much, those of you who were kind enough to review! I greatly appreciate it :P

If you want more...R&R. The less feedback I get, the less likely I am to update soon.


	3. Asphyxiation

---

03. Asphyxiation

---

If Sasuke feared anything in the world, he feared sleep.

"_I never told you to seek him out."_

_Sasuke scowled at the face before him, so similar to his own yet different all at once. "You told me to hate, to become strong enough to kill you. I _did._ Now look at you, sitting in my fucking head."_

_Itachi smiled, that slow beautiful expression of his. He seemed to be at peace, and Sasuke hated him for that. His brother was gone, free of his life of pain and disease while Sasuke was stuck wallowing in the remains._

_He had thought the end of Itachi would end his own pain, that it would close that gaping wound in his chest. Now he knew that it had only served to make him worse. Itachi was looking at him with serious eyes. "Even I wouldn't go to Orochimaru."_

_Sasuke sneered. "You despised him, that's why."_

_Itachi's dark eyes grew cold. "Did he ever tell you how he tried to have me first? I wasn't stupid enough to let him take control of _my _body. Not like you."_

"_Shut UP! What do you know of it? You always had power, power in spades! I needed him!"_

"_I'm mostly disappointed in you, foolish little brother. I would have rather fought you with the knowledge you gained yourself, not with the knowledge of Orochimaru- that snake."_

_Sasuke shut his eyes, trying to block out Itachi's face, wanting the sound of his voice gone. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted with a sight less welcome than his brother. _

"_Orochimaru," he hissed._

"_Mmmm, Sasuke-kun! How are you, my traitorous little student?"_

_Everything hurt. Sasuke was seeing red, flashes of red everywhere, blood of his victims. He fucking hated it, he wanted it gone. Why, _why _wouldn't it all just go away? Didn't he deserve some sort of solace from this hell? Why was he so fucking _unworthy_?_

_Orochimaru crawled closer to him, his green-yellow eyes on his face with a hungry expression. "Oh my, Uzumaki Naruto has been on your thoughts lately, hasn't he Sasuke-kun? That damn fox, I should have killed him long ago."_

_Sasuke snarled and launched himself at the other man, wrapping his hands around his scrawny pale throat. "You fucker, you'll never touch him! You know why? Because I killed you! You're dead! I'd kill you again if I could! I'd love every second of it!"_

_{In the distance, far away, Sasuke thought he could hear a voice saying 'stop! Get off of him!'}_

_Orochimaru's eyes were bulging and his usually pale face was turning an awkward color from the strangulation. He fingers were clawing at Sasuke's and the black haired young man leaned forward, his breath bathing the snake's face. "I'd kill you and I'd eat your fucking guts myself."_

_{Again, the voice sounded, but louder, 'Sasuke! …stop…you're killing him, Sasuke!'}_

_A hand suddenly gripped Sasuke's shoulder hard, and he was being pulled away, watching as a sick grin stole over his former mentor's face._

"Sasuke! Stop it, oh, kami you moron he's not breathing…look what you've done!"

Sakura? What the…

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, fuzzily taking in his surroundings. He nearly choked on his own tongue when he looked beneath him and didn't find Orochimaru's face, but Naruto's. He couldn't look away from him, and he didn't resist when Sakura threw him to the floor off of the bed.

She was beside Naruto instantly, stroking his face briefly before checking him over, to make sure that he was going to be alright. Sasuke watched the scene before him, feeling ill. His gaze fell on the blonde's neck, where dark marks encased nearly the entire circumference of his throat.

"Is he…is he alive?" Sasuke croaked.

For some reason his chest was hurting, and his stomach felt ill. Did it really matter if Naruto died? What if he had finally killed him, like he had planned to for years? Would it feel as good as he had hoped?

Sakura gave him a glance, her green eyes alight with an emotion he had never seen in her before. It surprised Sasuke a little because he had never thought her capable of hating him. "He'll be ok," she whispered.

Sasuke's dark grey eyes watched jealously as Sakura leaned further over Naruto's body so that she was practically laying on top of the unconscious young man. On his bed. She was stroking his blonde hair gently, her eyes fixed on his face. Sasuke mentally sneered; so she loved the idiot, wonders never ceased.

"He's breathing again, but I should probably take him to the hospital," she then looked at Sasuke more seriously, saying, "I should report you, you know. You would have killed him had I not come to check on you this morning."

He stood up and glared at her menacingly. "Then why don't you?"

She moved on her position on the bed so that Naruto's head was laying on her thighs. "Oh, believe me Sasuke, I would love nothing more than to get you away from him. Unfortunately you seem to be the one person that Naruto wants to be around at the moment."

Sakura leaned down to kiss Naruto's lips, and Sasuke decided he couldn't stomach anymore of this gushy romance shit. "Can you stop molesting him for just five seconds? He's unconscious for fuck's sake."

Sakura kissed Naruto's lips anyway, disregarding Sasuke. When she pulled away, she eased herself off of the bed, standing so that she was only a few feet away from the Uchiha. "What was Naruto doing here?"

Sasuke chuckled mockingly. "He's always here, what's so different now?"

She pushed her pink hair behind her eyes and bit her lip. Sasuke saw the signs and knew that she was nervous, that she didn't want to say something to him. Good, he enjoyed making people uncomfortable.

"Why was he here in your bed? With…with you."

She was stammering. How fascinating.

"…"

She turned red, shouting, "Answer me, Sasuke!"

He curled his lip at her, twisted amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "Why should I? You've clearly come to a conclusion all on your own."

The fear was in her eyes, not exactly of him, but what he might have been doing with her…lover. He wouldn't disappoint her, after all, where would the fun in that be?

"We slept together."

She couldn't have looked more disgusted. He smirked, saying, "Why are you so shocked? You weren't his girlfriend, were you?"

He gave her a pitying look, knowing it would upset her more. Her fists were clenched and she took a step forward, looking like she wanted to shock him in the face. "You listen to me, _Sasuke_, don't you _dare _touch him again!"

His laugh echoed throughout the apartment as he walked into the next room to check his reflection in the mirror. Circles around eyes, check. Bags under eyes from lack of sleep, check. Now all he needed was a bloody nose and he'd look decently dead.

He walked back into his bedroom and noticed how pale the young woman was. She was shaking. Now for the final straw…

He leered at Naruto's unconscious, but breathing body.

"How should I not touch him, _Sakura_? Maybe next time I'll be more considerate of your feelings and I won't make him suck my cock."

"Shut up."

"Don't worry, he liked it. Do you think he thinks of me when he fucks you?"

"Shut your filthy mouth," Sakura cried out, slapping him across the face.

A moment later, a second crack resounded in the air. Sakura stumbled back, holding her face. Sasuke looked down at his hand, as if seeing for the first time. When he looked back at Sakura, she had let go of her face. Now he could see the red mark already marring her cheek.

"You," she snarled, "are absolutely disgusting."

Using some strength formerly unknown to Sasuke, Sakura lifted Naruto off the bed. She supported him with her shoulder and he seemed to groggily stumble around with her as she eased him out the front door. Naruto wasn't quite awake yet, but his eyes were slightly open.

Naruto's bleary gaze fell on Sasuke before Sakura had him completely out the door. "Hey," Naruto croaked, "morning teme. How're ya doin'?"

His words were slurred with sleep and he sounded terrible from the damage done to his throat. It would take a few days for it to get back to normal. It broke Sakura's heart to hear Naruto talk to Sasuke, so innocent of what his friend had nearly just done.

"Ahh, Sakura-chan!! Why…why's my throat hurt ssso bad? Neh?"

She kissed him on the cheek affectionately, trying hard to get the image of him and Sasuke in bed out of her head. She watched Sasuke's expression as she kissed her friend on the cheek, and she was surprised to see fury rise up in his dark eyes.

However, as soon as the anger came it was smothered behind an expressionless mask. Without another word, Sasuke slammed the door behind them.

As Sakura walked down the street with Naruto to the closest hospital, she murmured in his ear, "You got hurt Naruto, but you'll be ok."

"Did I get in a fight? I won right?"

"Naruto…"

"What?!"

"Hush. You sound like one of those toads you hang around."

"They aren't toads! They are frogs! FROGS!! Ouch!"

He clutched at his throat in pain. "See?" Sakura said, "Hush!"

* * *

Sasuke leaned against the wall briefly before sliding to the floor. He bit his lip until it bled and he snarled, "Fuck. And here I was supposed to be the only one unaffected."

_{Mmm…Sasuke-kun, you have never been unaffected, not where Naruto is involved}_

"Get the hell out of my head," he rasped.

_{Do you know why that is Sssasuke?}_

"Shut up you fucking snake."

He couldn't get Orochimaru out of his head. Even in death his mentor would not give him peace.

_{Because he's the only one who cares about you the way you want to be cared for}_

Sasuke leaned his head down between his drawn up legs. "That's a lie," he hissed.

He sat there in the dark for awhile, just listening to the sound of the birds outside in the day. "I don't want anyone to care about me."

_{Yesss…that's right. Because you don't deserve it}_

The black haired young man snarled in frustration, punching a hole in the floor. If he had been a weaker man he would have cried.

Cried for everything that could have been, now lost forever.

* * *

**AN: **Ahh....that Sasuke, what a jerk :P

Thank you all for your kind reviews! The more you review, the more eager I am to write!


	4. Hospital Breakout

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04. Hospital Breakout

---

"He should stay here for a few days."

"What? It's not that serious, I checked him myself," Sakura argued.

The medical nin gazed at her sternly. "He is my patient and I think he needs to recover without outside influences causing him stress."

Sakura scowled; she didn't like the head medical nin all that much, but already she was despising her more. Sakura clenched her fists, wanting to punch a hole in the wall. Medical nin were so stupid these days! They didn't make them like they used to…

"Fine," Sakura gritted out, "I'll leave him here for tonight, but tomorrow I'm bringing him home."

"I will be the judge of that, Sakura."

Sakura turned on her heel, muttering 'stubborn bitch' under her breath. Just before she reached the doors out, the medical nin called out to her. "Sakura? Oh, you didn't mention how this happened. What? You don't know? Don't feed me that silly line girl, people don't just develop strangle marks on their necks on a whim."

Sakura paused, leaning against the door frame. _What do they expect me to say, _she thought warily.

"It's a private matter. I don't really think I have the authority to talk about it without Naruto awake."

The older woman's eyes narrowed at Sakura, clearly not buying her answer. _Shit! _Sakura knew that something like this would screw Sasuke over, and if Naruto didn't even know what had happened, he would be furious to find Sasuke in prison again when he woke up.

"I was under the impression that you were in on Naruto's personal life," the other women said arrogantly.

Sakura winced, feeling the doubt flood her mind again. Seeing Naruto in that bed…at Sasuke's house. She didn't know what had been going on. Sasuke could have been lying through his teeth about what had gone on.

He probably had been lying, it wasn't like he was the most reputable character Sakura knew. _Get a hold of yourself, Sakura! Sasuke killed people for a living! You can't believe a word he says!_

"Well, Miss Haruno?"

Sakura blinked and began to turn away, feeling her throat thicken. "I'm sorry, I can't help you. Whatever happened, well, that's between Naruto and someone else. Not me."

She walked home –Naruto's apartment- and sat down on the bed. Clutching a pillow to her chest, Sakura broke down, first just shaking, but then full out sobs. "It's not me," she said brokenly.

* * *

It had been two days and Naruto hadn't come by. Not that Sasuke really noticed his absence anyway. It just got boring, having nothing to do but stare out the windows at nothing. At least Naruto could talk, albeit about random stuff but the sound of his voice was nice- occasionally.

But that was only when he was desperate for the sound of something other than silence. And he really wasn't that desperate all that often. Sasuke lay on his bed, one pale arm flung over his eyes. What seemed to be only moments ago, Naruto had been lying here beside him.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. He could still smell Naruto on the sheets. He was vaguely curious as to if Naruto was alright. It wasn't like he had actually meant to strangle his ex friend.

"Fucking Orochimaru," he hissed.

Even in death the damn snake caused him problems.

After a few more moments of thinking of nothing, Sasuke swung his feet over the edge of his bed, letting his bare feet touch the cold wood floor. He had already decided that if Naruto wouldn't come to him, he, Sasuke Uchiha, would go to Naruto.

Not that he was worried about the idiot or anything. He was just really, really hungry.

He pulled his clothes on and strode out the front door. He was pretty sure that the ANBU guarding him died of a heart attack because they hadn't expected him to leave the premises. He smirked coldly, continuing to walk on his way as if nothing were wrong. If they had a problem with him walking, well, then they could take it up with him in person.

Otherwise, he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted.

Sasuke tried to catch wind of Naruto's chakra, but it was very allusive. From what he was feeling, Naruto hadn't been walking around the town since he was dragged out of Sasuke's home. Sasuke's lip curled; Sakura had probably dropped Naruto off at the hospital.

"Uchiha Sasuke, we are asking you to cease and desist your actions."

He rolled his eyes. ANBU. They had obviously just gotten enough courage to call him out on breaking the rules. So, he promptly ignored them and continued to walk toward the hospital.

"Uchiha Sasuke, we are asking you-"

"And I'm telling you to shut up. Is it such a crime for a man to visit someone in the hospital?"

The ANBU was emotionless behind its mask. "You are not authorized to walk through the town. Please turn around so that we do not have to resort to more violent methods of persuasion."

Sasuke turned around and glared at the mask. His eyes blazed an angry red momentarily. "I do not care if you follow me all the way to the fucking hospital, just shut up."

He spun on his heel and continued on, well aware that the ANBU and his partner were close behind.

The hospital looked the same, the same as it had when he had been here as a patient himself. Sasuke shut his mind down, trying to prevent sentimental thoughts from sneaking in. He didn't do sentimental, not anymore.

He left that part of himself far behind.

Sasuke strode through the front doors and heard the litany of whispers make its way through the lobby.

"Isn't that…?"

"Uchiha Sasuke? What is he doing here?"

"I thought he was locked up!"

Sasuke closed his mind off to all the whispers, just as he had done as a lonely child. Back when everyone had been pitying him over his lack of family. _Well, _he thought nastily, _they all have something worse to gossip about, now don't they?_

He sauntered right up to the front desk, a manic smile plastered on his face. "I'm here to see Uzumaki Naruto."

The girl manning the front desk seemed to be malfunctioning somehow because her mouth was hanging open and she wasn't talking. Sasuke gave her a few seconds, just in case she really was _that_ slow.

When she didn't answer, he shrugged his shoulders and said mockingly, "Your gift with words astounds me."

He walked down the hall, ignoring the chaos he left behind him. He concentrated on Naruto's chakra signature, not on the screams of horror behind him. When he found the room that bore Naruto's chakra signature the strongest, he stood outside the door for a moment, debating whether or not he really wanted to the _dobe anyway._

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking alerted Sasuke to the argument occurring on the other side of the door.

"Let me out, you old hag! I'm perfectly fine! You can't hold me prisoner forever, you know! I'm a ninja!"

Sasuke smirked; that was the Naruto he knew.

* * *

Naruto was just about fed up with this crazy old medical nin. Where was Sakura? Why hadn't she overrode this hag's decision?

"I'm sorry Mr. Uzumaki, I want to make sure that the attack didn't damage your seal in any way."

"That's a load of crap, hag lady! I'm fine and kicking."

He threw the next thing he could find, which happened to be a vase full of sunflowers –courtesy of Sakura- and it nearly took the older woman's head off. He stood up on the bed and scowled at her as menacingly as he could.

"And there was no attack! I don't know where you got that idea you senile hag."

"Your _friend,_ Sakura said you had been attacked, but that it was a personal matter."

Naruto snickered. "Personal? Sakura's in all of my personal stuff. We get up and personal quite often, I'll have you kn-"

The door slammed open, revealing Sasuke. The words dropped right out of Naruto's head momentarily. The head medical nin gasped in horror. "You…you!"

Sasuke smirked. "Yes, it is me."

Naruto hopped off the bed and slid past the gaping medical nin. A huge smile had lit up his face and it nearly stopped Sasuke's heart. After all, what had he done to deserve such a smile?

"Sasuke-kun!" He squealed in an annoying high pitched tone, reminiscent of a younger Sakura.

He hid behind the taller boy and hissed, "Have you come to rescue me from this old hag? She won't let me leave!"

Sasuke grimaced, wondering why he had come to see the dobe in the first place. "Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Let. Go. Of. My. Hand."

Naruto flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize…"

The medical nin was watching them with a stern eye. "You…aren't you under house arrest?"

Sasuke just stared at her coldly. After all, she shouldn't ask questions if she already knew the answer to them.

"Were you with Mr. Uzumaki when he sustained his injuries?"

Sasuke turned and walked out the door, murmuring, 'yes'.

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed at Sasuke's response. He followed him out the door, ignoring the angry shouts of the medical nin. "Hey, hey you! Sasuke! What do you mean, you were there?"

Without breaking his stride, Sasuke walked out into the bright sun. "I said what I meant. If you are too stupid to understand it, then too bad for you."

Naruto caught up to him, walking side by side with the Uchiha in silence. Well, almost silence. Naruto's stomach started growling. "Hey, teme, can we get some food? I'm starving and the hospital didn't have any normal food."

Sasuke sighed. "If by food you mean ramen, then the answer is no."

"PLEASE?!"

"…"

"You have to be hungry by now, no one has fed you for days."

"…I'm not a dog."

"So, we are getting ramen, right?"

* * *

It was almost like being surrounded by old family members. The owners of the ramen shop seemed in awe of seeing Sasuke and Naruto together.

Key words, of course. Sasuke and Naruto.

Together.

Naruto sat down on one stool and Sasuke next to him. They ate their ramen and Sasuke dutifully pretended to hate every second of it.

"Remember when they were kids?"

Sasuke's grip tightened on his chopsticks. He tried hard every night to forget when they were kids.

Sometimes feeling nothing was better than feeling the regret.

"Oh they were so cute together!"

_Hardly, _he thought. They had been anything but cute. They fought each other for no reason other than to one up the other. Sasuke hadn't really taken notice of Naruto. Not until recently, that is.

And what he found he was feeling for the blonde right now? It was anything but _cute._

"It's so good to see Uchiha with Naruto again."

_Correction, _Sasuke thought darkly as he chomped on a noodle, _I am not with him, he's with me. He's always been with me, after me, beside me. I have done neither._

"Maybe Naruto will be happy again, now that Uchiha is here."

…_What?_

A loud crash brought a halt to all conversation. Naruto turned and looked at the vacated stool next to him. "Sasuke-bastard?" He called out cautiously.

Sasuke's bowl of ramen had crashed on the floor and the raven haired young man was no where in sight. Naruto walked outside of the ramen shop and looked around for his old friend.

He stiffened when he heard the sound of dry heaving.

Naruto walked to the other side of the shop and found Sasuke bent over, retching. He gasped and turned away, knowing that the Uchiha would be furious if he knew Naruto was witnessing him in a moment of weakness.

Sasuke was unawares of course. All he could hear echoing in his head was the lie he feared the most.

_{Maybe Naruto will be happy again, now that Uchiha is here}_

Sasuke's chest hurt as a particularly nasty heave developed in his throat. Nothing, _nothing he ever did _could make Naruto happy.

_{Mmmm Sssasuke…itsss such a shame that you broke him so easily}_

_

* * *

_

**AN: **Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I have so many people watching this story (although not surprisingly not even half of those people review anyway). However, to everyone who reviewed- you make me write faster! Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner. I've had awful mirgraines all week so I basically couldn't even get out of bed to so much as look at my computer. (THANK GOD- the migraine is gone so I can write again!)


	5. A Case of Bleeding Hearts

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05. A Case of Bleeding Hearts

--

Sakura looked at him as if he were crazy. "You. Let. Him. _Leave_?"

His shrug was lazy and uncommitted. "Well, he didn't look like he was about to go commit mass murder."

"As if you know what that expression looks like, Sai!"

His dark eyes seemed to be laughing at her. "He was looking for his food ticket. If your food product stopped appearing at your door, wouldn't you go look for it too?"

There was the soft sound indignation, and the echo of feet crossing a wood floor. Sakura leaned against the kitchen table. She seemed to be having a lot of conversations –about Naruto no less- in this very kitchen. "Yeah, well, when you are Sasuke Uchiha, you don't go looking for Naruto."

That annoying gleeful look that Sakura hated so much stole over Sai's face again. "Very true. Usually it's the other way around."

Sakura scowled at him. "Don't remind me of Naruto's little obsession with chasing Sasuke."

Sai bit his lip, trying to refrain from mentioning Sakura's former obsession with the black haired man. He was proud of himself; his habit of blurting out the most unfortunate things was starting to get under control!

Sensing Sakura's increasingly foul mood, Sai stood up from the table and made his way over to the door. He pulled his ANBU mask down over his face and watched her quietly. Sakura ran a hand over her face, sighing. "Sai, he strangled Naruto in his sleep. Someone like that isn't safe. Never will be safe ever again."

Sai nodded. "I understand that. But all Uchiha wanted to do was see Naruto at the hospital. I followed him the whole time. He's rather single minded you know."

A bitter smile seemed to shape Sakura's light pink lips. "Yes, don't I know it?"

Sai opened the door now, one foot already halfway out. He paused, not quite sure he should hurt his teammate more than necessary. "He might not come back to you, you know. In fact, I would count on it."

He winced, waiting for a flying punch to knock his teeth out, but it never came. He quickly stepped out the door and shut it behind him. Besides; he had to make sure a certain Uchiha wasn't causing too much trouble.

* * *

Sakura sat at the table and bit her lip until it bled.

{_I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not…cry}_

But there it was, the big fat tear that ran down her cheek. Deep down she knew Sai was right; Naruto would take anything Sasuke offered him. The fact that Sasuke came to get him from the hospital alone would endear him to Naruto.

She wiped her eyes. Why couldn't Naruto see Sasuke for what he really was? He wasn't the boy that Naruto had been friends with, that kid had died so long ago. What stood in his place? A murderer, cold blooded murderer.

She went over to the sink and spat the blood out of her mouth. She took a swill of water, trying to erase the coppery taste from her mouth. Cold blooded killer Sasuke may be, but obviously he had some sort of feelings. For Naruto, anyway. She had seen it in his eyes at his apartment.

She had seen it in his eyes when they had been teens, no matter how much she had denied herself the thought. Sasuke had always had eyes for Naruto, never for her. Just like Naruto had always been after Sasuke in a way that he had never been after Sakura.

Oh sure, Naruto loved the idea of her. He _loved _her. He always had her and she would never leave. The problem was, Sasuke was the unattainable, the impossible challenge that Naruto just couldn't beat. Knowing Naruto, he always wanted to win, to come out on top.

What Naruto wanted, Naruto got.

And he had always wanted Sasuke.

* * *

"Don't you have a home to go back to? I'm sick of your stench in my house."

Naruto grinned a bright as the sun. "Of course teme, but Sakura-chan…"

The smile dropped off his face. "Oh, shit. Sakura."

Sasuke watched from his spot on the futon in his dark apartment as Naruto quickly remembered his better half. "What about her?" Sasuke said warily.

"I don't know if she is still mad at me."

"…so?"

"So? I don't like being around her when she is mad! Sakura-chan is scary when she's mad."

Sasuke smirked, recalling Sakura's old tantrums at Naruto. "Is she more scary than me?"

Naruto gave him a blank stare before lying down on the rug. "Nah, you're a freak. I think that's worse."

Sasuke exhaled slowly, trying to keep from snapping. It wasn't working too well, so he suggested the only thing he could think of to calm himself down. "I have some sake in the fridge, want some?"

Naruto made some lazy hand motion from his position on the floor and Sasuke took it as a 'yes'. Sasuke stood up stiffly and made his way into the kitchen, returning with two cold sake's in his hands. When he entered his room, he noticed that Naruto had moved to sit on the large window ledge. The window was as wide open as possible and the evening breeze was blowing in gently.

Sasuke tried not to think about what he was doing when he sat down next to Naruto, handing him his drink. Naruto downed the sake fast while Sasuke sipped it slowly. Naruto watched the moon. Sasuke watched Naruto.

They sat in a comfortable silence for longer than usual. Sasuke half expected Naruto to start yammering off about something soon, expected him to ruin the 'moment'. Not that they were having one.

But Naruto surprised him.

"Do you remember the first time we drank together?"

Sasuke blinked, almost amused by the serious tone that Naruto had used. He switched position on the ledge so that his legs hung out into the open. His thigh was touching Naruto's foot, which was lying on the ledge. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of that.

"Yes," Sasuke replied.

Naruto felt his stomach turn at the sound of the soft, breathy reply. There was no argument, no harsh response meant to deter him from the conversation. It was Sasuke talking to him, to _him. _

He looked at Sasuke's profile, admiring how handsome he was with the moon shining down on his pale features. Sasuke set his sake bottle down with a loud click, and the sound sent Naruto into his memories.

_The sake bottle made a sharp sound as Naruto set it down on the cement, opting to leave it there so he wouldn't lose the empty bottle in the park's grass. He had already lost his first one, after all._

_His drunken blue gaze fell upon a couple who had snuck into the shadow of some large willow trees. He snickered and poked his tipsy friend on the shoulder._

"_What do you think they are doing over there?"_

_A dark, slate grey gaze pinned him intensely. _

"_I don't know, what do you _think _they are doing over there?"_

_Naruto shrugged, and the sake he had just drunk made him feel slow and clumsy. "Maybe they are kissing."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes the best he could while drunk. "I'm sure they are doing more. Why would they go through all the trouble to come out here then?"_

_Naruto grinned and then nodded. "I sssuppose so," he slurred._

_Silence fell over them for a second or so before Naruto continued on blabbering. Sasuke continued to pretend he was listening. That was how it was, always. Naruto needed someone to be there for him, to listen to him._

_Sasuke just didn't want to be alone._

"…_.and wow, look at them go! I didn't know people could do that with their mouths. I wonder what that's like."_

_Sasuke snorted the best he could while intoxicated. "I sssure don't. I already know."_

_Naruto lay on his back and rolled over so that he was facing his friend. "What? Who would kiss _you_?"_

"_You, you dumb fucker."_

_Sasuke watched as an interesting shade of pink appeared on Naruto's cheeks. "Oh, right," Naruto muttered._

_The wet sounds emanating from the other side of the park were beginning to make Naruto's groin fill with heat. It was completely awkward. "Hey, let's move somewhere else, I think they are starting to get it on over there."_

_Clutching each other tightly, they stood up together. A joint effort, in their current state. They stumbled farther away so that they no longer could hear the amorous couple. Snickering in embarrassment, the two collapsed in the high grass together. The field they had found was small, but completely empty, unlike the park. _

_Their soft noses were pressed together, and Naruto marveled at how Sasuke didn't seem to mind. His friend was so uptight usually, he hated people touching him. "Hey, hey teme! Why's your face all up in my face?"_

_Sasuke breathed in softly, his warm hand travelling over Naruto's bare arm. "I don'tsss know. Itss not my fault."_

_His breath bathed Naruto's face and Naruto absently thought that he should hate the smell of sake on his breath. He was too drunk to really care. Sasuke rolled onto his back and stared at the stars._

_He loved the alcohol. He loved what it did to him. It made him numb, warm. It made him almost feel good._

_And best of all it made him not care about anything._

_Naruto rolled over too so that he was closer to Sasuke. "I want to try that," he stated plainly._

_Sasuke's eyes nearly bugged out. "_What_?"_

_Naruto blushed brightly. "What those people were doing! Just…just the kissing, I mean. How will I know what to do with Sakura when I get older?"_

_Sasuke looked oddly blank. "Oh, I don't know, Naruto, why not _try it with her_?"_

"_Nooo! She will laugh at me if I do bad!"_

"…"

"_Teme!"_

_Naruto grabbed at the other boy and they scuffled in the grass for a few brief moments._

"_Stop, stop it now!"_

"_Kiss me you jerk!"_

"_I don't want your fishy lips near me!"_

"_I…must…be good…for…SAKURA!" Naruto snarled between his panting. _

_CRUNCH_

"_You just punched me."_

_Sasuke nodded, feeling slightly harassed. "What else was I supposed to do? You were practically assaulting me."_

_Naruto sat up and slid his eyes down to look at his panting friend. "That was pretty embarrassing."_

"…" _Sasuke agreed._

_Naruto was silent for a few moments and then his face scrunched up as if he smelled something awful. Without warning, he leaned down and clumsily pressed his lips against Sasuke's unmoving ones._

_It was over in three seconds. _

_Naruto pulled away, his breath coming faster than before. "How…how was that, you bastard?"_

_Sasuke thought it was ridiculous that Naruto was scowling. As if it was his fault! He sighed and let his arm fall over his eyes. "That was...ok, dobe."_

_Naruto grinned and then lay down again. "That's good- but someday I'll be great!"_

_Sasuke would have rolled his eyes if he weren't already falling asleep. _

Naruto smiled at the memory. They had been such idiots back then. "I can't believe I kissed you."

Sasuke's eyes were dark, and Naruto felt his face warm as those eyes gazed at his lips. Without warning, Sasuke's lips curled into a leer. "I can't believe you kissed me _twice_."

Naruto scowled. "Oh shut up, teme. It's not like I actually wanted to. It was all for a greater cause!"

"I suppose the greater cause is Sakura?"

Naruto winced. "Of course. I love-"

As soon as the word popped out of his mouth, Sasuke pressed him against the side of the windowsill, his hand holding Naruto's mouth shut. He leaned close, the scent of sake hitting Naruto, sharp and sweet.

"Don't say it. Don't fucking say _it_."

The look in Sasuke's eyes confused Naruto but he didn't want to question it. He felt himself become cold, realizing how easily he had forgotten the dangerous tiger that lay in his presence.

Once he pushed his way out of Sasuke's grip, Naruto walked backward until he hit the door where he quickly let himself out. Sasuke's red eyes followed him the whole way.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry for the wait, but real life sort of got in the way! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I had a lot of fun writing it :P

R&R as always, you know I always try harder when I get my dose of reviews! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!!


	6. The Ghost in Our Bed

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06. The Ghost in Our Bed

--

The moment he opened the door to his apartment, Naruto's arms became full of Sakura. Although he couldn't see her in the dark, he knew by the soft scent of lavender that engulfed him. He pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled, trying not to compare the scent to Sasuke who smelled much muskier.

And then the air got knocked out of him.

"OUCH!" He cried out.

Sakura stepped away from him, her fists clenched. He was about to ask her what the hell she was thinking, punching him like that, but when the lights came on he saw the tears. Sakura's jaw was clenched and her teary eyes were looking at him in an accusing manner. "Where have you _been_? I've been worried sick about you!" She shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.

Naruto stepped forward, trying to comfort her. "Hey, come on Sakura…"

She pointed her finger at him angrily, darting around the table away from him. "No, don't you 'Sakura' me! It won't work this time, Naruto."

He followed her around the table. "What are you so upset about? I usually am out late!"

Sakura felt cornered, knowing that this conversation was going to go where it really shouldn't. She didn't want Naruto to know how upset Sasuke being home made her; it would break his heart. But Naruto was so blind! How could he not see the dark cloud that followed Sasuke wherever he went? How did he not notice how Sasuke was affecting Naruto himself?

"That's different! You are acting so weird now that _he's _home-"

Naruto scowled and grabbed her arms before she could move away. "Stop, _stop _smacking me! This is about Sasuke again? Give me a break, Sakura! Why can't I spend time with him? I haven't spent time with him in years! Do we need to have this argument again?"

She nodded, blinking her eyes in an attempt to get rid of the tears blurring her vision. "You haven't been yourself since he came home. You're not happy, not like you used to be. Something's been bothering you and I know it's him."

Naruto sighed, and looked away from her jade green eyes. "Sakura, he's not ok, I'm trying to help him…"

Sakura laughed bitterly. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. "Naruto, you can't _fix _him. Sasuke doesn't want help; he wants to be miserable, like he has always been. He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"You don't have the right to think he doesn't care about anyone! You think that just because he didn't want you like you wanted him!" Naruto yelled.

The sound of the slap echoed in the air. "How dare you say that, Naruto? I don't love that…thing anymore! I can see past his face!"

Naruto shook his head and walked away, beginning to become angry. He sat down on the bed in the next room, breathing in and out…in and out. Slowly. Sakura was just mad that he wasn't around to be with her more often, that had to be it. When she entered the bedroom, he scowled. "Sasuke isn't my problem, Sakura-"

"Do you love him?"

_What a stupid question, _Naruto thought vaguely. He placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, pinching slightly. "Of course I love him! He's very important to me!"

Sakura didn't crack a smile. Naruto could still see the dried tears on her cheeks. The whites of her eyes were red from hours of crying. All his anger dropped away and he suddenly felt guilty. "Sakura, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."

When he apologized, Sakura wanted to give in, to just go and lay down in his arms, but she knew ghost that had been plaguing them for nights would still be in the room watching them with red eyes. The depth of Naruto's connection to Sasuke made it feel like he was right with them. "No, Naruto. I didn't mean that when I asked the question."

He blinked his beautiful blue eyes, dark in the shadows. Confusion was plain as day on his features. "What could you have possibly meant then?"

Sakura took a deep, calming breath, afraid of the words about to come out of her mouth. She feared the answer even more. "Naruto, I meant, do you love…love Sasuke like you love me?"

She watched as Naruto's face closed to her. The tension in the room doubled and Sakura wanted to cry again, so completely afraid. She could hear her own heart beating and it sounded like a clock ticking down the time to disaster. She watched as he licked his lips, not looking at her.

_{I don't love him like that; I can't love him like that}_

The thoughts scurried across Naruto's mind like mice. He couldn't make his mouth work for some reason. He kept trying to answer her, but the words just wouldn't come. He felt ill, his stomach churning at the thought. He tried with all his might to push it away. When he was ready, he looked Sakura in the eye and said calmly, "No, Sakura, I don't love him like that. It would be like…totally weird."

He waited for her reaction and was rewarded with a huge smile. He couldn't help it; he smiled back. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest, telling her that, like he was confirming the answer to himself. It was the right answer; he just didn't love Sasuke like a lover.

He held his arms open and let Sakura fill them again. Once he had her in his clutches, he rolled them both over and kissed her on the forehead gently. "I'm an old man, pretty lady; I need my rest before the children kick my butt tomorrow morning."

She smiled, scurrying out of the circle of his arms. She turned all the lights off and joined him back in the bed. "What are you training them in tomorrow? Anything fun?"

He scoffed, and she listened to him breathing beside her. "Yeah right, Sakura-chan! I don't make things fun! I'm mean! Rawr!"

She snickered, fluffing her pillow more. "That is such a lie, Naruto. You were a class clown when you were a kid!"

He went still. "I was, for awhile. Then I got responsibilities."

Sakura felt the chill build in the room again. "Sasuke is _not _your responsibility, Naruto."

He didn't respond, he simply wrapped his arms around her and shut his eyes tightly.

_{I want to forget it all so bad. I want to forget all the nightmares we built together}_

As hard as he tried, he just couldn't. He just couldn't push away all the memories of Sasuke almost ending their bonds.

_{I'm masochistic, Uzumaki. Haven't you noticed?}_

_Did you notice anything at all?_

Naruto clenched his jaw, hating the voice in his head.

It was Sasuke's.

* * *

He watched them, mostly out of curiosity of course.

The genin were…obnoxious. There were no other words he could think of to describe them. Running about, giggling and screaming as if becoming a ninja was some sort of '_fun, awesome' _idea. Sasuke sneered at them from his hiding place, content to just lean back against the tree he was in.

_So, _he thought, _these are Naruto's genin. Why the hell would anyone give their kids over to Naruto to watch?_

He narrowed his eyes as he watched the red headed girl kick the single boy there in the shins. _Charming._ The only reason he knew they belonged to Naruto was the fact that they kept talking about him. With _such _familiarity. He clenched his fists and breathed in deeply, trying make sure he didn't lose control of his anger.

Exhaling slowly, Sasuke rolled his eyes. As if it mattered if he lost his temper. That stupid ANBU sitting in the next tree would surely use some 'deadly force' if he got feisty. He was actually a little surprised that they were allowing him out of him cage; he was under house arrest after all.

He watched with no great amount of boredom until he noticed a bright blonde head of hair glinting in the sun. Sasuke sucked in his breath and felt his heart stutter. _There he is, _Sasuke thought vaguely.

"Naruto-sensei! Where have you been?"

"We've been waiting for hours."

Sasuke watched as the children ran to greet their teacher, scowls on their faces but smiles in their eyes. He felt like absolutely vomiting when the littlest one, a blonde girl, ran and hugged Naruto's leg. "Naruto-sensei! Are you ok? I was so worried about you when I heard you got hurt!"

The sunny smile that Naruto aimed at the little girl was so bright and open that Sasuke's chest began to hurt.

_{Please, look at me like that}_

He watched as Naruto leaned down and hugged the little girl back. "Oh, Hana, you are such a sweetie. I'm fine. I don't really even know what happened."

Sasuke was flabbergasted; Naruto honestly didn't know what he had done to him? Typical Uzumaki. Crap. That might put a damper on things, telling the stupid idiot how he had nearly strangled him to death…in bed none the less. Then Naruto would want to know why they had been in bed together in the first place. Sasuke groaned; Naruto shouldn't be around him, ever. He wasn't safe and it wasn't like he wanted that stupid idiot around anyway.

"Did you stalk him like this before? Before you left him for dead and ran to Orochimaru, I mean."

Sasuke startled; the ANBU was _talking _to _him? _He turned and looked to the other large branch beside him. The ANBU that had been guarding him had moved closer. _Whatever. _Sasuke promptly ignored him, seeing no reason to talk. And besides; Sasuke didn't stalk Naruto. As if!

"Are you ignoring me, Uchiha? That's mature," the ANBU continued in a monotone, slightly mocking voice.

Sasuke shut him out of his mind and focused on Naruto with his…kids. The thought alone was strange. He remembered how Naruto had talked about them, calling them 'my kids' fondly. He tried not to listen to Naruto on such things; it only made him more upset for some reason. He mentally sighed; they weren't ok, not together.

"I've seen how you look at him, Uchiha. When he comes over to your house and you pretend you don't want him there."

_What the fuck…? _He turned around quick as lightening and grabbed the ANBU around the neck. It would be so easy to snap his neck. All it would take was just one quick, hard snap of his wrist and BAM, one ANBU casualty. Sasuke's breath was coming hard out of his nose and he tried to restrain his reflexes. He was so used to killing that it seemed like a normal reaction to almost everything.

He watched as the ANBU lifted his mask slowly. Black eyes met his mockingly. It took Sasuke a moment to recall who this was, but when he did, a violent snarl worked its way out of his voice box. "You! You're that sorry excuse of a replacement! For me!"

The ANBU smiled in a not so friendly way. "Hello, I'm sorry, we must have missed introductions. That's proper etiquette right? To introduce yourself? Not that you need to anyway, I already know who _you _are."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch; what was this guy's deal? He let go of the ANBU's throat and sat back, staring at him warily. "What do you want?"

The other pale man retained his stiff smile. "I just wanted to let you know that I got my eye on you. Two eyes in fact. There is no way I'm going to let you hurt Naruto-kun again."

Sasuke twitched in fury. _Naruto-kun? _But he cooled himself down and smirked coldly. "Is that so?"

The unmasked ANBU nodded, but then a strange light came into his eyes. "Well, I may not have to."

"Why is that?"

Another awkward smile. "Because you are afraid of hurting him, aren't you, Uchiha? You keep on running and running from him because you can't control your feelings well enough."

Sasuke saw red and snarled, "Shut _the fuck up_ about things you don't understand!"

And he promptly kicked the ANBU's ass right out of that tree. The ANBU's black eyes went wide with shock as a foot connected with his chest hard, evicting him from the branch. He lay prone on the grass, getting back his breath.

"_SAI? _Why did you just fall out of a tree?"

_So that's the fucker's name, _Sasuke thought, watching as Naruto came towards the tree at a run.

Oops. Sasuke moved quickly, moving to another tree at a safer distance so that he could watch the scene in peace. It just wouldn't do to have Naruto see him.

* * *

Naruto grunted with effort as he pulled Sai to his feet. "What just happened?"

"It was a failed attempt at damage control, Naruto. I'll fix it, don't worry."

Naruto sweat dropped. "Daa…damage control? Sai…you are so crazy."

Sai smiled beatifically. "Not as crazy as your psycho friend."

"_Excuse me_?" Naruto gaped. He wasn't quite sure that he had heard that right.

Sai continued smiling. He glanced up into the tree briefly, satisfied that the Uchiha fiend was gone. "Never mind, Naruto, the issue is gone anyway."

Naruto was stumped. "Listen, Sai, as much as I love talking to you, my students need my attention. Are you ok?"

Sai nodded. "I'm fine. I was just making sure that the Uchiha wasn't going to cause any more trouble, you know, since he nearly strangled you to death and everything."

Naruto felt a cold break over him. "Say that again."

Sai's smile grew more and it was because he enjoyed causing trouble. Well, not really, it was just that enjoyed letting people in on things they didn't know before. Especially if it shocked the heck out of them. "I said, since he nearly strangled you…"

Then the children came up behind Naruto. The red head, Chou cried out, "Someone tried to strangle Naruto-sensei? Who would do such a thing?"

Sai looked at them, his dark eyes wide. "Someone really, mean and nasty-"

"Sai, stop!" Naruto hissed.

He black haired man became serious, his eyes losing all humor. "Naruto, you need to face the truth and stop living in your own world. He's not a nice guy. You've known this for awhile. _Accept it._"

And with that, Sai pulled his mask back on and disappeared. The children ooed and awwed and all Naruto did was whisper.

"_I can't."_

* * *

AN: Another chapter done, another on the way! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter- Sai is amazing :P

R&R- let me know what you like! I appreciate each and every review!

Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own the characters from "Naruto"


	7. The Undeserving

Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto!

* * *

When Naruto got home that evening, he discovered that Sakura was gone. She had left him a note of course, letting him know how she had been sent on a spur of the moment mission, and that she was extremely reluctant to leave him alone with the creature.

He almost snickered at the last line; after all it was slightly humorous. He just wished he had been able to see her one last time before she went off. He sat down at his kitchen table and thought about how this was the first time he had actually been in his own home alone in ages. It was quiet, and he didn't like it. Naruto never liked being alone.

_{It's too much like the past, being alone}_

Ever since Sakura had moved in, Naruto had never been alone, and even though he always had her, the emptiness still remained, deep inside where no one could see. Somewhere where no one could fix him. The only time he forgot about the open wound inside was when he was with Sasuke.

_Sasuke._

Naruto subconsciously rose a hand to his throat, feeling for the now invisible strangle marks. He couldn't bring himself to believe it. What Sai had said was too awful to believe. Then again, Sasuke was a psycho murderer, who would put it past him to strangle Naruto?

Naruto frowned, unable to recall being strangled. When the hell had that happened? And how come he couldn't remember it at all.

He was lost in his thoughts, but not lost enough. He knew the moment that someone arrived at his front door. There was a gentle knock and Naruto scowled, unable to feel a chakra signature through the door for some reason. "Who on earth would come here at this time? Morons…."

He flung the door open, preparing to yell at some idiot for coming by at that hour, but instead he found himself shaking with a fury. And no, he wasn't speechless, far from it.

"You STRANGLED me!"

Sasuke hid his wince well. He didn't want Naruto to see how the words affected him. "I did. Almost finished the job too," he said callously.

This was not the greeting Sasuke had been expecting when he knocked on Naruto's door. Well, that was when he thought Naruto still didn't know who had strangled him.

Naruto shut his eyes tightly, clenching his fist. There was a soft silence, the sound of tension building until a loud crack broke it. Sasuke staggered back, cursing, his nose pouring blood. "What the hell, Uzumaki?"

"You fucker!" Naruto shouted. "What is wrong with you? You can't just strangle people in their sleep!"

Sasuke snarled, blood from his nose seeping into his mouth. He lunged at Naruto through the doorway, sending them both to the floor in Naruto's kitchen. Sasuke used his foot to shut the door behind them, keeping them away from any prying eyes. While he was momentarily distracted, Naruto shoved Sasuke off of him and tried to make a dash for the other side of the room but Sasuke was still too fast for him, even with his chakra blocked.

Sasuke pinned his ex best friend stomach down on the floor, grabbing both of Naruto's wrists and holding them behind his back. Naruto grunted in pain, trying to struggle, but every time he moved Sasuke's grip got tighter. "Stop struggling, Naruto, and this won't hurt you so much," Sasuke hissed.

"Here to finish the job, _teme_?" Naruto snarled, his face pressed against the hard floor.

Naruto expected to be hit, stabbed, yelled at, anything but what the ex-missing nin actually did. Naruto almost gasped when Sasuke's arms went around his waist from behind, his faced pressed against Naruto's back.

"Is that what you think I came here to do?" The black haired man whispered.

Naruto felt his heart clench at the broken tone present in Sasuke's voice. "Let go of me," Naruto hissed.

Hesitantly, Sasuke obeyed, sitting back on his haunches so that Naruto could sit up and face him. Naruto's blue eyes held fury in them, but also uncertainty. "Sasuke," he said, "I don't know what to expect anymore. You aren't who I remembered you to be."

Anger lit through Sasuke like fire. How dare he? How dare he act like everything was supposed to be alright? "I don't see how it's such a surprise, Uzumaki. After all, I am a murderer."

"Shut up! You are not a murderer."

Naruto was shaking. He knew, he knew what Sasuke was but he didn't want it shoved in his face. He leaned his back against a wall and hid his head in his hands. "You are not what they call you," Naruto whispered, his voice thick.

Sasuke inhaled deeply, his mood dark. "I am, Naruto. It's time you understand that. I'm not perfect, I never have been. This pedestal you have put me on? Let me down from it. I'm sick of living under your false beliefs that I am a good person."

"But you are a good person! I know you are, Sasuke. If you would just let me help you-"

Sasuke's fist came down hard on the kitchen table, causing Naruto to shut up. Snarling, he hauled Naruto up off the floor by the neck of his shirt. Breathing harshly into his face, Sasuke did his best to hurt the one person he had truly cared about.

"I. Cannot. Be. Fixed. I am not some broken toy for you to mess with. I am a person. I am _the_ person who almost caused Konoha's downfall. I'm the murderer who killed Orochimaru, the most vile criminal to live aside from myself. Do you know what I did while I was his student, Naruto? Would you like to know?"

Naruto tried to fight the feeling welling up inside him, tried to fight the tears he felt building behind his eyes. He did not want to know. It would hurt too much. "I don't care what you did, Sasuke. I only care that about you being my friend again. That's all I want."

Sasuke let go of Naruto's shirt and stepped back. "You can't erase my past, Naruto."

"Just shut up, _teme_. Just shut the fuck up. I'm sick of listening to this," Naruto growled, storming out of the kitchen. "I'm going to bed. Do whatever the hell you want, I don't care."

A door slammed and all went silent. Sasuke sighed and walked into the next room, flopping down on the couch. As he inhaled he could smell Naruto's scent. That clean, summer smell that could always be associated with Naruto. At least when he was clean. Sasuke smirked, knowing damn well that Naruto could also smell like a bowl of ramen.

He would talk to him again in the morning. That stubborn idiot would get some sense knocked into him even if he had to strangle him again. Then, maybe once Naruto gained some sense, maybe he would let Sasuke leave. Maybe then he would be able to leave Konoha once and for all. Then the painful memories would haunt him no longer.

The insistent knocking was what woke him up. "Someone is going to die," Sasuke snarled.

He hauled himself up off of the couch and peaked over at the door that led to Naruto's room. No response. But of course; the idiot slept like a log. Sneering in Naruto's general direction, Sasuke stormed away towards the front door. _Someone is going to die today and I'm going to rip them limb from limb,_ he thought as he opened the door, _someone….oh…._

* * *

Akira, Chou, and Hana had been pounding on their sensei's door for some time, waiting for the lazy ingrate to get out of bed and come train them. He was later than usual today. "I bet he totally forgot all about today," Akira pouted.

Chou smacked him on the back, "Of course he wouldn't! There's got to be a reason he's still in not at the training grounds."

The door suddenly was ripped open and a dark room was revealed to the kids. Naruto clearly was not awake. As their eyes adjusted they noticed the dark eyed man standing not too far from them. Hana poked Chou and whispered, "Who…?"

Akira didn't seem too freaked so he blatantly asked, "Hey, where is our sensei Naruto turd? He was supposed to-"

"Sleeping."

The sound of the strange man's voice was soft, dark like chocolate but hoarse from sleep.

Silence prevailed. No one knew what to say in response, as it was clear that the odd stranger had just ended all conversation. It was awkward and pathetic and Sasuke just wasn't sure what to do. Obviously the children had no intention of leaving until they saw Naruto.

Scowling, he whirled and looked at the shut door that led to Naruto's room. Idiot could sleep through an explosion if he put his mind to it. "Oi! Uzumaki! Get your loser ass out of bed!"

He kicked the door for added emphasis.

"Huhhh?" Typical, eloquent Naruto.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and retreated to the couch, shutting the door behind him….and on the children. There were shouts of 'Hey!' and 'What the…!' but he took no notice. They were lesser beings.

Naruto's bedroom door finally creaked open as he stumbled out, his hair an utter wreck. His noticed Sasuke in the corner on the couch and frowned. "Teme, aren't you supposed to be gone? Like five hours ago?"

"Hn."

"Friend strangler."

"Fuck you. Your genin are here."

"WHAT?"

Naruto rushed to the door and opened it. "How long have you guys been waiting here?"

"Long enough. Your gate keeper locked us out," Akira scoffed.

Naruto's eye twitched. "My whaaa?"

The children all looked pointedly at the man still sitting silently in Naruto's home. "He looks like a total creature in there," Akira whispered to Hana, and Chou proceeded to slap him upside the head.

Naruto smiled softly; at least the genin always made his mornings better. "Ok, I get it guys, I'll be out for training in like ten minutes. Unless I shouldn't shower…should I just smell bad?"

The children made gagging faces and shook their heads. "No sensei, not ever again!"

Sasuke watched with detached curiosity, noting how the kids kept looking over at him. They wanted to know who he was. Or perhaps they knew and they wanted a closer look. So that was what he had been reduced to; a zoo animal. A dangerous animal not safe for the public, but oh how they all liked to stare.

* * *

Sakura shifted on her feet beside Kakashi. "Restless," he inquired.

She frowned at him, unaware that he could read her so easily. "Stressed."

They were camping out on a mission with some other shinobi, and so far things had been rough. "I heard that you were having trouble at home."

It was an awkwardly stated question.

Sakura flushed brightly. It wasn't like she wanted to talk to her former sensei about her issues with Naruto and Sasuke. "I've…had some things on my plate that I just can't deal with right now."

Kakashi cocked his head to the side in that familiar way of his. "So you are running away?"

Sakura sat down and glared into the fire before them. "No, I'm not running. I'm just…avoiding it. Naruto and I aren't the same. I thought Sasuke would make him happy, but he is making him miserable. It is consuming Naruto; he can't focus on things outside of Sasuke."

Kakashi nodded, waiting patiently for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura spoke quietly, "I feel like something is seriously wrong. I feel like Sasuke and Naruto have a deeper connection than I originally thought. I can't escape my fears."

"And what are those, Sakura?"

Her emerald eyes shown in the firelight. "I'm afraid of losing Naruto to a monster that doesn't deserve him anymore."

* * *

AN: Short, I know, but it has been awhile. I have been in and out of the Naruto fandom for awhile since college started in '09...but I am trying to get this finished! Sorry everyone.


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